Gentner Thomas X, Mulvey Robert E
Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XL, UK.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2021 Apr 19;60(17):9247-9262. doi: 10.1002/anie.202010963. Epub 2020 Dec 3.
Organolithium compounds have been at the forefront of synthetic chemistry for over a century, as they mediate the synthesis of myriads of compounds that are utilised worldwide in academic and industrial settings. For that reason, lithium has always been the most important alkali metal in organometallic chemistry. Today, that importance is being seriously challenged by sodium and potassium, as the alkali-metal mediation of organic reactions in general has started branching off in several new directions. Recent examples covering main-group homogeneous catalysis, stoichiometric organic synthesis, low-valent main-group metal chemistry, polymerization, and green chemistry are showcased in this Review. Since alkali-metal compounds are often not the end products of these applications, their roles are rarely given top billing. Thus, this Review has been written to alert the community to this rising unifying phenomenon of "alkali-metal mediation".
一个多世纪以来，有机锂化合物一直处于合成化学的前沿，因为它们介导了无数化合物的合成，这些化合物在全球学术和工业领域都有应用。因此，锂一直是有机金属化学中最重要的碱金属。如今，这种重要性正受到钠和钾的严峻挑战，因为一般来说，碱金属介导的有机反应已开始朝着几个新方向发展。本综述展示了涵盖主族均相催化、化学计量有机合成、低价主族金属化学、聚合反应和绿色化学的近期实例。由于碱金属化合物通常不是这些应用的最终产物，它们的作用很少得到突出强调。因此，撰写本综述是为了提醒学界注意这种正在兴起的“碱金属介导”的统一现象。
